Alvine Pharmaceuticals Inc., which aims to be the first to successfully develop a drug for the common autoimmune condition celiac disease, now has a powerful corporate ally to help it achieve that goal.

Alvine has secured $70 million in cash from Abbott Laboratories spinoff AbbVie Inc. and granted AbbVie an option to buy its celiac-disease drug or its entire business for an undisclosed amount. The cash will enable Alvine to fund a 500-patient Phase IIb clinical trial of its drug. The study will take place in the U.S. and Europe and will begin shortly....